Maratha community must get quota without affecting such provisions for SC/ST: Ramdas Athawale

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale  said that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes should not suffer because the Maratha community receives quota in employment and education.

Addressing a rally of his RPI(A) here, the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment condemned the police action on Maratha quota protestors in Jalna on September 1. RPI was the first to support reservations for the Maratha community. They must be given quota without it affecting reservations provided to SCs and STs, he said.

A hostile mob allegedly refused to allow officials to move a man who was on a hunger strike as part of the quota agitation to the hospital on Friday, prompting police to use baton charges and tear gas shells to disperse the crowd in Antarwali Sarathi on the Dhule-Solapur road. Along with the injuries to a number of people, including 40 police officers, more than 15 ST buses were also set ablaze. 360 people have been arrested in relation to the violence.

Athawale said he would meet the chief minister to guarantee that a Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhavan and a super speciality hospital were built in Palghar when speaking about other concerns. In reference to the proposed Wadhvan port here, which is facing opposition from the fishing community, the Union minister said all stakeholders must discuss if a good project is coming up and should find an amicable solution.

He said the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission under the Narendra Modi government had enhanced the reputation of the country. Modi government has given free food grains to 80 crore persons, 4 crore persons have got homes and 9 crore have received gas cylinders, Athawale said.